1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present disclosure relate to microfluidic devices and methods of controlling a fluid in microfluidic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
For microfluidic devices such as a liquid lens and a liquid aperture, liquid is an essential component. Thus, liquid dispensing is also an essential part of the manufacture of a microfluidic device. When sequentially dispensing a liquid into a plurality of microfluidic devices, there may be a difference in liquid volume due to evaporation of the liquid according to the environment and dispensing time. To solve this problem, a liquid having a low vapor pressure may be used in microfluidic devices. However, in this case, interfacial tension is reduced, viscous friction is increased, and packaging becomes complicated.
In addition, due to the recent development in microfluidics technology, a system that is capable of dispensing a liquid up to the level of picoliters (pL) has been developed in addition to various liquid-based devices. Most aqueous solutions including water evaporate in air and therefore decrease in volume and mass over time. Thus, the smaller an amount of aqueous solution, the faster the evaporation thereof. Accordingly, in order to obtain suitable volumes of a liquid dispensed in an array of pixels of a display device or other microfluidic devices, factors such as temperature, pressure, or humidity should be controlled to ensure conditions under which the liquid does not evaporate.